II Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
In order to understand the Bible correctly, there must be faith in its Author. He is God and He gave a Book to the human race. Human men were used to accurately record what God wanted written.
The above verse is extremely important because it tells us that “all Scripture is given by inspiration” – every word is from Him. Not just ideas, or impressions – but every word.
God has promised that His truth would last forever: “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations” (Psalm 100:5). Every bit of it would survive the test of time, even the jots and the tittles (the little marks identifying one letter from another).
To ensure that verbal inspiration and its importance is understood, God also gave a very severe warning about altering His Book in any way. Revelation 22:18,19 says: “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
The Bible is a revelation of Himself to man and it provides an understanding of what happened to God’s perfect world (Genesis 3). In it, He reveals how sin entered our world and why our natural relationship with Him is broken because of sin. He also reveals what He will do about it in many prophecies (Old Testament) to restore that relationship, and the Gospels reveal that His plan was completed in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
For the believers that are alive today, the Bible provides you with everything you need to know to live for God in this life. It is a guidebook, a promise book, a book of instruction, it reveals where we go wrong and shows us how to get back on track. It also reveals that God will richly reward us for faithfulness and that He is coming again to take us to be with Him forever.
No wonder David meditated on it day and night. Job considered it more important than his “necessary food” (Job 23:12). God promises success (Psalm 1:2,3) to those who meditate (think about) its teachings through the day.
Christian, is the Word of God precious to you and do you read it every day? If not, why not get started today?